Team LeBron rallies to beat Team Stephen in All-Star classic

Team LeBron upstaged Team Stephen 148-145 in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. Photo: Bob Donnan/EPA

LOS ANGELES – Team LeBron upstaged Team Stephen 148-145 in the NBA All-Star Game Sunday in a thrilling duel that featured spectacular plays at both ends of the court by the game's premier players.

Team LeBron staged a second half rally and then got the defensive stops they needed late to win the mid-February classic under the new selection format after trailing by two points at the half.

Playing-captain LeBron James finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to lead all scorers. Cleveland Cavaliers James was also named MVP of the game for the third time in his career.

Lebron James was named MVP of the All Star Game for the third time in his career. Photo: Mike Nelson/EPA

This year the league decided to go to a new format for picking the teams to try and make the games more competitive and it worked.

Under the new format, James and Stephen Curry, the top two all-star vote-getters, got to pick their teams from a pool of 22 available players. The first four picks had to come from the list of all-star starters.